Free An April Bride by Lenora Worth Page A

in his dreams. “The doctors say it’ll get better as long as I keep going to therapy.”
    “I hope so.”
    She looked so scared. Was she afraid of him?
    “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said.
    “Oh no, I mean, I understand. I thought I was the one who’d upset you. All that stuff for a house you don’t really remember—”
    He realized she thought he’d become stifled by the wedding and shower gifts. No wonder she looked so lost and embarrassed.
    “Stella, it’s not that. Really, it’s not.”
    She looked doubtful, but before she could say anything else, her parents walked up.
    Her dad grunted. “Look at this, Marshall. We have enough vegetables here to last your mama a month of Sundays.”
    Marshall tore his gaze away from Stella. “Wow, she’ll sure appreciate that.”
    Stella’s mother took one look at them and went intooverdrive. “Where are my manners? You’re probably starving, and here I am all hot and a mess from picking vegetables.”
    “It’s okay, Mama,” Stella said, her tone flat. “We . . . came out to enjoy the night air.”
    “Let’s get y’all inside, and Stella, if you don’t mind helping me to warm up the dinner rolls, we’ll get on with our meal.”
    “Sure.” Stella shot Marshall a questioning look. “I’ll see you inside.”
    He wished they could sit down alone and away from all the well-meaning people who kept interrupting them. As he watched Stella walk away, Marshall decided to take matters into his own hands.
    Come this weekend, he intended to kidnap his bride and take her away from all this. Just for a few precious hours. And after seeing all that he’d missed, he came up with an idea that might surprise her too.

T he first week of waiting for Marsh to remember her had gone by.
    Stella wentover her planner notes to make sure she’d covered everything for the wedding. She’d already had formal photographs taken of her in her wedding dress. Those would go to the local newspaper to run the week after the wedding.
    She stopped, held a hand to her heart, and stared out her bedroom window. She could see the Mississippi River flowing and gurgling, as old as time and such a constant in her life. She’d been so happy the day the photographer had come out to Flower Bend to take those pictures. The whole garden had awakened in a riot of color that made her shimmering white dress stand out like a single magnolia blossom caught in a bunch of azaleas.
    She’d been excited and happy after she’d seen the photos. Her hair had been curled in a loose chignon with hergrandmother’s lace veil caught in a crystal tiara, and her dress—the portrait neckline a clear satin white that showed off her mother’s pearls, the long flowing skirt accented with seed pearls and embroidered flowers.
    She couldn’t show those pictures to Marshall. Not now, since he wasn’t supposed to see her in the dress before the wedding. Maybe not ever. But she’d described her dream wedding to him in detail in her letters.
    Letters that, as far as she knew, he still had not read. But why? What was holding him back?
    Three more weeks, Lord. What should I do?
    A soft knock at her door brought Stella’s head up. “Come in.”
    Her mother opened the door and peeked inside. “What are you up to so early in the morning?”
    Stella lifted the thick wedding journal. “Double-checking.”
    Her mother came in and sat down on a seafoam-green slipper chair next to the white desk. “How you doing, honey?”
    “I’m okay,” Stella said. “Marsh has called me every day this week. He told me he helped his dad with some yard work and that he’s beginning to consider what he’ll do now that he’s home. He’s still interested in real estate.” Her wry smile hid her concerns. “He has a business degree, if he can remember what he learned in college.”
    “That sounds positive. He’s planning for the future, so I’m sure he’s beginning to remember a lot.”
    “Yes, he is making plans,” Stella